Lake Ilopango
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| Lake Ilopango | |
|---|---|
| Location | Central El Salvador |
| Coordinates | |
| Lake type | crater lake |
| Basin countries | El Salvador |
| Max. length | 11 km |
| Max. width | 8 km |
| Surface area | 72 km² |
| Max. depth | 230 m |
| Surface elevation | 440 m |
| Islands | Islas Quemadas |
| Lake Ilopango | |
|---|---|
 Lake Ilopango seen from Santiago Texacuangos |
|
| Elevation | 450 m (1,476 ft) |
| Location | El Salvador |
| Coordinates | |
| Type | Caldera |
| Last eruption | 1880 |
Lake Ilopango is a crater lake which fills a scenic 8 x 11 km volcanic caldera in central El Salvador. It is the largest lake in the country and is located immediately east of the capital city, San Salvador. The caldera formed during a cataclysmic eruption in the 5th century AD, which produced widespread pyroclastic flows and devastated Mayan cities. This eruption produced about 25 cubic kilometres (6 cu mi) of tephra (20 times as much as the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens), thus rating a 6 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index.
Later eruptions formed several lava domes within the lake and near its shore. The only historical eruption in 1879–80 produced a lava dome which reached the surface of the lake, forming the islets known as Islas Quemadas.
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